Bad Bearings!! Lots of pics!!

[meet07]

Ok....Let me start out by saying that im not ashamed, I just wanna get my car back on the road. I just rebuilt my rb25. Went with eagle rods,wiseco pistons, bored the block over .040 and fitting the bottom end with acl bearings. I changed the oil 3 times within the 1st 100-150 miles and every time I found the oil had a gold/bronze sparkle to it. Had me worried So pulled the oil pan down,rod caps and girdle to see what condition the bearings where in. This is what I found

Rod bearings:



Main bearings:






Crank:




I was told from a freind that I trust that the bearing are no good. I was informed that the bearing are suppose to look brand new. Also told that there isnt suppose to be any wear on the bearings(meaning that the crank and bearings are not suppose to touch). Im not really sure what could have happened. I mean I platigauged both rod and main bearings and everything was within limits.....Ive read a few stories about ACL bearings not being the best. Im looking for some help from those that have rebuilt a engine or two...

Thanks

[compactfean]

Ive had issues like this In the past. The first motor (my sr first build) I had scarring on bearings, cylinder walls etc....needless to say cleanliness is very important. Use an engine bag all the time and assembly must be done flawlessly clean. 2nd build on the sr was perfect( I was just in there checking clearances and was a beautiful sight to see) on a v6 2.7 liter I did the rod bearings on it twice because my sis didnt want to get the crank polished. The second time I sanded down the bearing material build up and hand polished the crank and it ran long enough for her to sell it.lol not the right way to do it at all, I know. Also re using an oil cooler is a BIG NO NO after a catastrophic internal failure happens...debri likes to hang out and break free later. Hope I can help.

[meet07]

See I cleaned everything using 155psi of air. Added assembly lube and installed. My friend seems to believe I should have measured the inner bore and crank, took that measurement and subtracted to get the bearing clearances.....I thought they only had one bearing thickness? I did reuse the old filter but didn't think it would have been a big deal.

[compactfean]

Did you have the block hot tanked? When they do that it cleans out all the oil ports and anything that is stuck in there. I would never trust compressed air or even brake clean to clean the block enouph for rebuild. If there is any debres in the motor from when you had the failure, the bare min is to hot tank the head and the block. There are too many areas a machine shop can clean that you cant see or clean yourself that when you start the motor it finishes circulating through the motor.

[meet07]

Yea the block and head both where hot tanked and cleaned. I used compressed air to blow any dust off all the movable parts before installing the bearings..im dealing with ACL's tech support right now. See what they have to say.

[moso]

I am no stranger to the inside of a motor and those bearings look like they were destroyed by debris in the oil. bearings that die from oil starvation tend to flake apart and stick in clumps to the crankshaft, as the metal heats up from being oil starved it will separate from the backing and stick to the hotspots on the crank. If the bearings were undersized or oversized you should have caught it with the plastigauge. bearings that are too big wont spin freely, bearings that are too small knock like a b**ch. I agree with Compactfean, debris cost you your motor. sorry.

[meet07]

Appreciate you guys expertise. That makes sense. Like I stated before the bearing clearances where all good. The crank doesn't have any markings on it and replacing the bearings is just extra labor. What do u mean when u said the debris cost me my motor? The crank looks ok right?

[moso]

personally i would disassemble the entire thing, send it out to be hot tanked, have the crank polished, new bearings, new rings, new gasket set. those little metal shavings have penetrated even the smallest of holes all over your motor and they all are like deadly poison to your motor. little choice here but a full teardown and the most thorough cleaning, and i mean every bit of it, any oil damp motor internal needs inspected and either cleaned to eat-off-it condition or replaced. timing chain, tensioner, pistons, valves, ect.....

[meet07]

personally i would disassemble the entire thing, send it out to be hot tanked, have the crank polished, new bearings, new rings, new gasket set. those little metal shavings have penetrated even the smallest of holes all over your motor and they all are like deadly poison to your motor. little choice here but a full teardown and the most thorough cleaning, and i mean every bit of it, any oil damp motor internal needs inspected and either cleaned to eat-off-it condition or replaced. timing chain, tensioner, pistons, valves, ect.....

Is there anouher way??

[moso]

if what you said is true and you did have it hot tanked first, started with a fresh clean motor, plastigauged bearings, correct torque specs, ect, ect. then its true and crap in an old oil filter chewed up your bearings, that crap is still in your motor and you need to be sure its out. I personally dont know of another way to get a motor clean than to take it apart.

[compactfean]

^ I second moso. When I reused my oil cooler (even cleaned it out with brake clean) it cost me my freshly rebuilt motor and a bunch more money for pretty much rebuilding my motor.